The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-02

With regard to the VIII Davidson mansion
on upper Fifth avenue the circumstances
were of an entirely different character
Win ceased his house for three years 1t
was one of row of five-story hrownstone
front residences that brought high rental,
being opposite the park His family was
a large one, there being four or five chill
dren and several servants. His wife began
to complain of mysterious annoyances when
they had been there but two weeks.@ The
children came trooping into her room at
night in great fright to declare that some
one had pulled 'all the bed clothes off "
Her suspicion that one of the boys was i'm
plicated in the trick was completely disSi-
pated by putting them in separate rooms
and locking all the doors One morning she
found the sheets and coverlets of the three
girls beds tied in a congeries of hard knots
in the middle of the room SO tightly that it
required the full strength of the three stout
servants to extricate them after working
several hours
The result of this was vexation, not alarm.
Will WAS as far removed from superstition
as is meat ak. He swOre at the d non
sense, but told of it on the street as a prac-
tical joke When, however, the annoyance
increased and Mrs Davidson declared she
would leave the house, VIII, with practical
mans method, went to plumber and asked
him to overhaul the place This plumber
sent three men with kit of tools one morn
ing. They proceeded to open up dark closet
at the basement, where pipes were inter-
laced. What they encountered was not
learned at the time. They went away sud
denly, leaving their tools, and the next
morning Will went to the plumbers and
wanted to know what kind of men he had
sent there. II found nothing done when
l went home,n he said, land your men
gone"
What kind of house have you gotE'
asked the plumber. my men say 1 haven't
got money enough to make 'em work in it.
It's haunted
VIII moved ont in the spring after
the annoyances had become insupportable
and it was found impossible to keep any
help.
After hearing his stories, Winship and
Wells and | determined to get the keys and
spend the night there
We had great deal of trouble in accom-
plishing our purpose, on account of the
owners Discrimination to have his property
injured by ghost Investigations. But Wells
bribed the old man who had charge of the
empty building and we got in with lamp,
a basket of refreshments and some smoking
tobacco
Mrs. Davidson had told us to go on a
Thursday night and we'd hear the process
sion, for it seems the spirits held regular
Thursday night receptions, and many was
the night she and her frightened children
had listened to the switch of satin petticoats
and the click of high heels as they swept up
the staircase.
We had dreary enough night of it up to
1 o'clock in the morning. We did not hear
a sound except an occasional rat in the
walls or an early beetle from Tie park as
he butted against the pane. Wells went to
sleep on the floor, with his arm under
his head, and Winship and l talked art.
We had set the kerosene lamp on a soap
box, where it's two-inch flame burned
bright enough to make the big room look
dismal
Suddenly in one of the pauses of listening
Winship caught me by the arm and pointed
silently at this flame. 1t had grown sensi-
bly, larger and there was round hole in the
centre of it.
We both stared at the phenomenon with.
out saying word. There was no explana-
ton of it. The air was calm and the lamp
undisturbed; but there was the perfectly de
scribed circle two inches in diameter, around
which the steady fame assembled without
breaking its line.
Then, while we were looking at it, there
came through the orifice a perfect and
symmetrical human index finger, ON which
we saw the pink nail and the first joint.
1t pointed steadily at Wells, who was fast
aSleaD